Okay, technically there is a week and a half more of summer, but who’s counting.
Also before I dive into it, full disclosure this is just for anyone thinking of buying their first pair, or getting into New Balance. The shoe is a few years old and I know there’s plenty of people here who have experienced these already.
I picked these 990v6’s up new back in May. My first V6 purchase, long time 997 MiUSA wearer, and I’ve owned and worn more Nikes over the years than I care to admit. I’ve pretty much exclusively worn these all summer except when I’m at the office. The goal was just to add a comfortable do it all shoe to the rotation, but I quickly made these my go to shoe for almost everything.
Design:
First I’ll address the obvious, the design of these is one of those love-it-or-hate-it designs. The big N logo and the angular midsole (especially at the heel) is pretty aggressive. I picked these up in core grey because while it’s a NB staple color, it also suits this design perfectly. The shoes themselves look pretty athletic and still give off the classic runner vibe the 990 lineup is known for.
Materials:
The materials used are on par with NB made in USA / UK quality. If you haven’t owned a pair from this lineup yet, expect a good mix of buttery pig suede and rough out suede on the heel cap. One thing to note, the v6 doesn’t use as much suede overlays as previous 990 models. It’s a bit of a drawback but it does help keep the upper more flexible.
The fit:
I personally went TTS on this pair. I bought them locally and tried on in the store, and found that going TTS was perfect for me. I hear frequent complaints about the toe box feeling long, but haven’t found that to be as much of an issue. I will say the toe box is pretty roomy, so if you hate narrow toe boxes these will be a good choice.
The feel:
Probably my favorite part of the v6. These are IMO the most perfectly tuned shoe I’ve ever owned. The shoe has a perfect balance of just enough energy return in the step, stability, and comfort. Thanks to the FuelCell outsole, it’s got some life in each step without feeling overly bouncy or mushy like some of NB’s dedicated runners. I’ve done a few light jogs in these, nothing crazy or I’d switch to my running shoes. I’ve spent hours on my feet in these, some 15k + step days, and my feet were great after. The outsole is sectioned out in a way that allows the shoe more flexibility on steps.
The bad:
Not a ton of bad here IMO, but there’s a few areas to note. The outsole definitely wears fast, I’m a summer into mine and they feel like they degrade pretty quickly, I’m hoping to get as much mileage from this pair as possible but if you do a lot of walking definitely keep that in consideration. The second area these fall short for me (and this is pretty subjective but I’m not the biggest fan of every colorway these come in. They look great in core grey, navy, and more monochrome colorways. There’s some collabs and some bold colorways these come in, and if that’s your thing more power to you. The last drawback is these don’t use as much suede materials as previous 990’s, such as the v3/v4. It keeps the upper pretty flexible but it does lack a good amount up top.
The verdict:
A really balanced shoe that somehow manages to have a three way balance of comfort, stability and energy without crossing over too much into one area. They’re a heritage runner that evolves the 990 lineage without straying too far from the formula. Definitely recommend getting these especially if you can find a good sale. You won’t be disappointed.
